Oral microbiota in cardiovascular health and disease

Hundreds of microbial species inhabit the oral cavity and are essential to local and systemic health. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) causes a significant burden on global health, with its etiology and pathogenesis still not fully understood. Growing evidence indicates an association between the oral microbiome and CVD. However, the variability of populations, follow-up durations, and disease severity between various human investigations led to divergent conclusions. Animal studies have focused on the relationship between individual microbial species and CVD, yet gaps remain in the mechanisms between CVD and microbiome. In addition, a comprehensive understanding of the interactions between oral pathogens and the cardiovascular system has not been elucidated. In this Review, we summarize our current knowledge of basic and clinical research on potential mechanisms linking the oral microbiome to CVD and highlight the need for population-based studies with controlled baselines to establish mechanism links between oral microbial pathways and CVD.